1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal fitting connected to an electric wire and an electric wire equipped with the terminal fitting.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, one described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-339850 has been known as a terminal fitting connected to the terminal of an electric wire. The terminal fitting has a body portion connected with a mating conductor and, in the rear of the body portion, a crimping portion at which the terminal of a core wire in the coated electric wire is crimped and fixed.
When the coated electric wire is electrically connected to the terminal fitting, in a case where the core wires of the coated electric wire and the terminal fitting are made of different kinds of metals, if water exists at a portion where the two come in contact with each other, it is known that the metals both dissolve in water in the shape of ions to give rise to electric corrosion in which corrosion makes progress by electrochemical reaction. To inhibit occurrence of such electric corrosion, the terminal fitting disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-339850 has a water-tight structure in which the gap between the crimping portion and the coated electric wire is filled with a water-proof sealing agent (anti-corrosive agent).
In a configuration where the coated electric wire is electrically connected by crimping the coated electric wire at the crimping portion of the terminal fitting, it is difficult to deform the crimping portion into a shape completely conforming to the outer circumferential portions of the coated electric wire and the core wires. That is, the coated electric wire and the core wires each have a substantially circular cross section, whereas the crimping portion has a substantially rectangular or a substantially U-shaped cross section. Therefore, in the right and left diametrical directions of the coated electric wire and the core wires, outer circumferential portions thereof and the side walls of the crimping portion come in close contact with each other, whereas a gap is formed between both ends of the bottom wall of the crimping portion, that is, bent portions and the outer circumferential portions of the coated electric wire as well as the core wires. As a result, an anti-corrosive agent dropped or sprayed from above the terminal fitting may not easily enter the gap between the crimping portion and the coated electric wire as well as core wires.
The present invention was made in view of the foregoing circumstances. It is an object of the present invention to provide a terminal fitting configured to prevent the occurrence of electric corrosion at a portion to which an electric wire is connected. It is another object of the present invention to provide an electric wire equipped with the terminal fitting to which the terminal fitting is connected.